Ten Reasons Why
by Fox of Spades
Summary: "The dead don't haunt people, right Mio-senpai?" Satoshi asked with a weary lopsided grin, one that reminded Mio of a certain brunette. She frowned. "No they don't, it isn't normal." Cold steel eyes avoided agonized amber ones. His answer was so quiet that it was barely audible. "But my sister has never been normal."
1. Raindrops

**Hello everyone I hope you enjoy the first chapter of Ten Reasons Why. ^^**

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I stare at the ceiling as wave after wave of pain and torment crash against me. I'm tired, but I can't lull myself into the relief people call sleep. It sucks doesn't it? I sit up and look around. Comic books are scattered across the floor and empty soda cans are on my desk. My parents call my room a hazard zone and I have to admit that the name fits. I run my fingers through my hair and try to smooth back the messy brown tufts that stick up in a disorganized manner. I stare at my mirror into a pair of weary amber eyes. Sometimes I think it's all a dream, so I recite things that I know are real in my head.

I am Satoshi Tainaka and a week ago my sister passed away, I don't want this to be real, but it is. Life is not a wish granting factory and nee-chan is not coming back.

I find myself smiling ironically. The heart is foolish isn't it? It continues to hope no matter how illogical the situation. I've been trying to move on, but it's still painful. Mio-senpai feels the same way, and it's comforting to know I'm not in this alone. I lie down once more and close my eyes because it's a bitter world and I'd rather dream.

_I hear the blare of a car's horn followed by the screeching of tires. A loud crash resonates through my head then I hear the bloodcurdling screams of several civilians. For a moment I'm too shocked to move. I stare at the pavement tainted crimson with my sister's blood._

**Bzzt! Bzzt!**

My eyes snap open and I find myself in a sitting position, sweat trickles down my forehead and I take deep and shaky breaths. A constant beeping sound comes from the desk beside my bed. My eyes flit momentarily to the clock on the desk. In glow in the dark green is the time. It's 3:20 am.

I lean over and grab my cell. "Mio-senpai?" Perhaps she woke up from a nightmare as well, or maybe she's found reason number one. The two of us came up with a game to help us cope. It's silly, but it helps. We try to find ten reasons why we think my sister is haunting us, so far we have none. I press the answer button and press the phone to my ear. "Morning senpai, what made you call so early in the morning?" I stifle a yawn, but can't stop myself from sounding sleepy. Normally I would hate to be woken up so early, but right now I'm grateful. It saved me from another terrible nightmare.

"I've found reason number one Satoshi." She sounds tired and her voice is muffled, she had been crying, but then again in the past week I'd been crying at night too. "Do you hear the rain?"

I tilt my head to the side and look at the window. Raindrops drum against the window pane like tiny fingers tapping repeatedly. For a moment I imagine that nee-chan is playing the drums down stairs, but reality slaps me in the face. She's dead. "Yes, what about the rain?" I ask, but I know what she's going to answer.

"It sort of sounds like soft drumming doesn't it?"

The two of us go quiet for almost a minute and I hear Mio-senpai sniffle. A sharp pain shoots through me and I try my best to stop the tears from stinging. "Yeah, you're right."

I hear her let out a strangled sob. "I miss her Satoshi, I want my best friend back."

I feel tears threatening to fall, so I wipe them away with my sleeve and try to sound brave for the both of us. "I want my sister back too senpai, but it's not possible." Silence follows, Mio-senpai and I are only fooling ourselves, she is never coming back.

"Satoshi," she whispers. "Sorry for calling so early in the morning."

"Nah, I told you call anytime." I let out a soft sigh. "You saved me from another nightmare. I owe you big time senpai." I hear her laugh bitterly.

"Well, you saved me from the deafening silence, so thank you as well." I hear a click and the line goes dead.

I shove my phone beneath my pillow then lie back down. Ten reasons,Mio-senpai and I will need to come come up with ten reasons before she graduates. I have three months, but I guess it's enough.

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**Sorry it is short, the next chapters will be longer. Thanks for reading. Reviews and criticism are greatly appreciated. ^^**


	2. Video Games

**After a long time chapter two is finally up. :D I hope you enjoy it.**

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Reason number two is quite mundane. I hadn't realized it until about an hour ago. I woke up at around ten; mom and dad were gone as usual. In fact ever since nee-chan died they've been even busier. I understand them though, work and activities dull pain. I had a quick breakfast then made my way to our living room. There I switched on the PS3 , placed _Resident Evil 5_ into the cd compartment then plopped down onto the couch with a pancake in my mouth.

Nothing out of the ordinary happened. I kicked zombie butt the same way I always did. Near the end however I got jumped by a dog and the AI being as stupid as it was left me to pick up ammo. I never played with the AI it always got on my nerves. Usually it was Nee-chan and I that would play together.

"Sis," I mumbled out in an irritated voice. "C'mon and save me will ya? You aren't actually choosing ammo instead of saving your little bro's life?" No answer came and that was when it hit me. I was playing with the AI because my sister was no longer here. A frown wormed its way onto my face and my eyebrows creased. I leaned over the side of the couch and grabbed the telephone, I don't know why I did it but I immediately dialled the number of the only person who missed Ritsu as much as I did; Mio-senpai.

_Ring,_

_Ring,_

"Hello Akiyama residence, this is Mio speaking."

"Yo, senpai," I had a dopey smile on my face. "Found reason number two." I paused before blurting out something I hadn't intended to say. "Want to come over and slay some zombies?" I mean, this is Mio! I cringed and prepared myself for the inevitable frightened words. I should keep in mind to never mention the word zombie to my sister's best friend. Last time I did it she nearly punched me in the nose. It was Halloween back then and I had been simply messing around. It caught me off guard when she replied with a monotonous yes.

"I'll be there in a bit Satoshi." I could imagine a thin smile on her lips. "Bye," the phone was put down and I heard a click. That was unexpected, what was supposed to be a day of video gaming to the max was now going to be spent with my sister's best friend.

As far as I knew seventeen year old girls did not have the same interest as fifteen year old boys. How was I supposed to keep her entertained, one thing I'm certain of is that it won't be with Call of Duty, Dead Space or Resident evil. My sister liked those kinds of games, but who's to say Mio will?

I let out a sigh and continued ramming random combinations. My character dove across the screen and planted a solid kick on the zombie's torso. I continued my zombie slaying for a couple more minutes before the door bell rang.

"Coming senpai," I hopped off the couch a grin now on my face, and I made my way to the door. I twisted the knob then kicked it open lazily. "Morning, how are you?"

She smiled and walked in but not before pausing to ruffle my hair. "Fine, how are you Sato-kun?" She laughed slightly, ughhh Sato-kun was something my sister called me back when I was like five . . .

I scoffed and Mio laughed even more, at times she could be almost as devious as Ritsu.

"Quit with the Sato-kun, Mio-chuan." I smirked before sticking out my tongue.

"Okay, okay. No need to get all tough." She waved a hand in the air before closing the door and making her way to the couch. "So reason two?" She arched an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Before I answer that," I tilted my head to the side. "Why did you agree to come here when I clearly stated the involvement of zombies, that is so-"I burst into a Cheshire grin, "not Mio-senpai-ish." I made a sour face. "I mean hello, zombies, you hate zombies!"

She shook her head, the smile never leaving her face. "Yes, Satoshi I hate zombies." She shuddered at the Z word. "But curiosity got the best of me, so what is the second reason and why didn't you just spit it out when you called?"

I shrugged and decided to withhold the valuable info I had earned. "Play with me and you might get it."

I tossed her the second controller and leaned back.

Mio didn't look excited at all, "What game?"

"Resident evil five," I added in.

She paled when she heard the title but turned on her controller. After about ten minutes of game time I was close to becoming permanently deaf. "Aieeeee Satoshi!" She yelled as she begun slamming down on random buttons. "They're coming! Shoot them! Shoot them!"

I cringed. "I'm trying senpai, but you're screaming into my ear!" I fumbled with the joystick and slammed repeatedly on the x button. Mio-senpai shrieked once more as the executioner swung an axe into her character's skull.

"I can't see it, I can't see it." She repeated over and over.

I laughed at her reaction. "Haha you should see the look on your face senpai it's pricele- Ouch!" I rubbed my sore head, man, that girl could punch.

"I held onto my end of the bargain." She mumbled while glaring daggers at me. "So, second reason Satoshi?"

I rubbed my head awkwardly and my eyes trailed to the ground. "Playing video games just isn't the same without her; I mean the AI sucks badly. She was just plain epic." I closed my eyes.

"True, playing with you is different. When I play with Ritsu she leaves me to die or sacrifices me." Mio rolled her eyes, but a genuine smile was plastered onto her face.

"Are you telling me, you miss being sacrificed?" I opened my eyes, and her longing grey eyes locked onto my bitter amber ones.

"Yes, I miss getting sacrificed, and I'd play Resident Evil over and over again if she were coming back." Mio explained.

"Brave words senpai," I smiled cheerily and she smiled back.

"It's times like this when we have to be brave Satoshi."

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**Thanks for reading ^^ reviews and criticism are greatly appreciated. **


	3. Bravery

**Chapter three is up :D this time it didn't take as long as I thought it would. I hope you enjoy reading~!**

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Reason number three happened unexpectedly on a rainy Saturday afternoon. It had been three weeks since my sister's death and Mio-senpai and I were okay. Then again, okay was such a vague word, on the outside we functioned normally like everyone else, but the inside was entirely different. We were like broken pots temporarily fixed with glue. We did our daily tasks, but there were scars that would never heal.

We were walking around for no exact reason when rain had begun to pour. Mio and I took cover beneath the roof of a bus stop and stared as cars whizzed past and zoomed down the highway.

"Did you bring an umbrella Satoshi?" She asked with a smile, she seemed happier nowadays, I seemed better too. We were beginning to pick up the broken pieces and move on.

"Nope, didn't think it would rain. When we left for the arcade it was all blue skies." I flashed her a lopsided grin before I stared at the umbrella in her hand. "You must be psychic, how did you know it was going to rain?"

She let out a sigh. "It's called being prepared; you and Ritsu don't seem to learn from your mistakes." She chuckled. "Must be a Tainaka thing huh?" She shook the tiny umbrella then held it above our heads. "Let's share, so you don't get wet and catch a cold."

I stared at her kind expression and a fluttery feeling came over me, I lowered my gaze and stuffed my hands into my jacket pockets. "Your umbrella's too tiny, I'll be fine. My sister always liked running in the rain and nothing ever happened to her."

A thin smile placed itself onto her face and I knew I was doomed. "Oh really, last time she did that she came down with the flu. Do you remember who stayed with her during the weekend and listened to her complaints of how boring being sick was?" Mio looked rather smug, it was the opposite of her usually shy demeanour and it fit her.

I shook my head and scrunched up my nose in reply. "You did, I was around. I heard her whining, so really I give up. Lesson learned. You, Mio-senpai are far more superior in intellect than I, Satoshi." I put on a teasing smirk only to be flicked in the forehead. "Sheesh, you really are a brute you know." I kidded, the confident look never leaving my face.

"Says the guy who slays countless soldiers in _Black Ops,"_ She had a blank expression, though her tone had an icy edge to it. The tone she used when my sister was messing around a tad too much.

I shrugged. "Can't help it, I'm a guy and I love blowing stuff up~!" My eyes lit up and a devious cackle left my throat. I rubbed my hands together and did my best evil scientist impression.

"That's just a stereotype," She added in before walking off. I followed after her because she told me to, I had no umbrella and the rain was literally hammering the ground and I didn't want to catch a fever a few days before Christmas vacation. We walked on in silence, as the rain continued to pour. It continued like that until senpai decided to break the silence. "You know it almost feels like they've forgotten her."

I stopped as a sharp pain rippled through me. "We're supposed to move on; they just got over it quicker than we did. No one has forgotten, it's just that memories hurt senpai." At the moment it felt like something really heavy had been dropped onto my shoulders and I sucked in a breath of air. "The problem is us."

She laughed, not in the happy Mio-senpai-ish way that I liked, but in an empty sort of way that sent a chill up my spine. "How can we forget someone like her Satoshi? How can we forget someone we both love?"

I smiled bitterly. "We can't forget, we'll just have to live with the pain senpai."

She dropped her umbrella and smiled back in an equally sad manner. "She really is gone forever, that stupid... Ritsu." Her voice was higher pitched than usual and my sister's name sounded more like a squeak than a word. As soon as senpai had mentioned the word forever I felt tears sting my own eyes. I stormed away from her and walked briskly ahead. I was the one who'd remain strong for us both. I stopped several feet in front of her and stared at nothing in particular. I took in a deep breath and tried to say something witty to lighten the mood, but my plan failed and no words left my mouth. Instead my shoulders shook as I mumbled out a few words. "I-I miss her."

I don't know how much time passed, but eventually Mio senpai had a hand on my shoulder. I lowered my head, and thanked God for the rain. The last thing I wanted to do was go ahead and show her my tears. I wanted to show everyone I was strong, that I could bounce back no matter what.

"You know, Satoshi," Her hand lingered on my shoulder and I heard the way her voice sounded hopeless. "It's okay for guys to cry, you can stop with the tough act. I know it hurts." That's when I lost it, a sob left my throat and I just fell to my knees with both hands in front of me.

Mio crouched down and sat beside me. She didn't say a word she just kept a hand on my shoulder as I yelled and cursed the world for taking my sister away from us forever. I didn't know if I yelled for minutes or for hours, but when it was all over my throat was sore. I stood up and Mio followed my lead. She stared at me before smiling kindly and offering a hand. "Do you feel better, Satoshi?"

I took her hand and stared at her. "No, I don't."

"That's the thing about pain, Satoshi. It demands to be felt." She gave my hand a reassuring squeeze and smiled. It wasn't a bright smile beaming with life and love. It was just a tiny upturned corner, it was barely there but it was still hope. It was small, but it was enough. I squeezed back and for a moment I felt like we would be okay.

Reason number three was not a spoken word or phrase; it was simply Mio-senpai's actions. Her bravery was much like my sister's, and as we walked onward that day we felt like that moment was ours for the grieving.

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**Thanks once again for your time. Reviews and criticism are greatly appreciated. *Bows* ^^**


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